Higher Ed, Not Debt is a multiyear campaign of dozens of organizations dedicated to tackling the crippling and ever-growing issue of student loan debt in America. With over $1.4 trillion in outstanding educational debt, affecting more than 44 million Americans, we have partnered around a simple message and a clear objective: Higher Ed, Not Debt!

Now, more than ever, a college degree is the ticket required for entry into the middle class. Unfortunately, the skyrocketing cost of this ticket is risking our nation’s future as a middle‐class nation. The long‐term vision of this campaign is to ensure that quality higher education is affordable and accessible to all, without the burden of financial hardship.
The work we do is based on four core principles:

Providing support to borrowers currently paying off the existing $1.4 trillion of debt;

Addressing the causes of declining affordability and quality, including changes to state funding and financial aid policies;

Educating the public about Wall Street’s complicity in the creation of the $1.4 trillion student debt crisis; and

Civic engagement across all geographic, demographic and political lines.

This new campaign is a joint effort by a variety of organizations including labor groups, non-profits, progressive think tanks and grassroots organizations, and you. Together, we can make this happen.